Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson has climbed into first-round conversations ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft, and Nick Wright’s first mock draft goes even further: he says the team that takes Simpson will be massively overdrafting him.
Wright paired that view with a run through the draft’s most talked-about names and landing spots, from quarterbacks to edge rushers to secondary help. He said he could not support a top-10 selection for one projected passer, while also brushing aside the idea that there is any suspense about where another quarterback is headed: “No shocker at all. We all know where [Mendoza] is going.”
The mock draft also leaned heavily on positional value and team need. Wright said Ohio State players are likely to flood the top 10, adding that [Reese] “is maybe the best defensive player in this draft” and that Jets coach Aaron Glenn might see “a little Micah Parsons” in him. He also called one prospect “the sickest athlete in the draft,” pointing to “99 percentile everywhere” athletic testing that he said would pop on spider graphs.
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Running back value came up next, with Wright questioning whether it makes sense to spend that high a pick on a back before the offensive line is fixed. “The pick that everyone now seems to think is happening,” he said, “is it smart to draft a running back that high before your offensive line has been fully built? Maybe ask the Raiders that.”
The Giants were another stop in the mock. Wright said Malik Nabers is still coming off an ACL injury and that even with Nabers, New York does not have a sure No. 2 receiver. That, he suggested, could push the team toward help up front: “A team that, on offense, needs a bit of everything. Maybe they go get the No. 1 tackle in the draft?” Wright added that one player was once viewed by many as the best player in college football entering the season, and that the only reason he could slip to No. 7 or even outside the top 10 is positional value.
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Wright’s edge-rusher section centered on David Bailey and Rueben Bain. He called Bailey “the best pure pass rusher in the draft,” while noting questions about whether he can stay on the field on all three downs or handle the run. On Bain, he said Kansas City would “run to the podium” if the board fell the right way, and noted that the Chiefs have not had a true blue-chip edge rusher in Patrick Mahomes’ career. The odds of Kansas City taking an edge rusher or defensive lineman with its first pick were listed at +275.
He also floated an aggressive offensive swing for Cincinnati, saying he would not support it but believes the Bengals might. Wright framed it as a bet on more offense, pointing to the top tight end in the class and a player who has drawn Kyle Pitts comparisons. The odds of Sadiq going to Cincinnati were listed at +2500.
Elsewhere, Wright said Miami is “in a full-on teardown” but still needs to protect Malik Willis after trading away his weapons. He also said Dallas would be eager to turn in the card for Delane, whom he described as the top corner in the class and a player some people incorrectly think Kansas City will take at No. 9. The Cowboys, Wright said, need help across the secondary.
Because this is still a mock draft, none of Wright’s calls are actual selections. But the exercise shows where the draft buzz is concentrating now: Simpson’s rise, the premium on pass rush, and how much roster need can still override consensus when teams get on the clock.
